Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have signed an agreement governing the status of Belgian military personnel deployed in the DRC, mainly for training purposes.
The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) was announced on Friday evening by the Belgian Defence Ministry, confirming information released in Kinshasa by its Congolese counterpart.
It was signed on Monday in Brussels by Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder and visiting Congolese Deputy Defence Minister Samy Adubango Awotho.
The signing was initially announced by the Ministry of National Defence and Veterans in Kinshasa, in a statement quoted by the official Congolese news agency, ACP. It was then confirmed by Dedonder’s office, which said the signing had been expected for years.
It testifies to the “good military cooperation” that has been established between the two countries and paves the way for the continuation and development of military collaboration and ensures better security for our military, a spokesman for the minister said.
A small group of about 10 Belgian military personnel is currently deployed in Kindu, eastern DRC, on a training-of-trainers programme for the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC). The Belgian trainers have been refreshing the skills of Congolese instructors from the 31st Brigade of the Rapid Reaction Units (URR), an elite force trained by Belgium between 2008 and 2017.
This mission, which began in April 2022, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. It was recently taken over by the 3rd Parachute Battalion from Tielen (Antwerp province), which relieved the 2nd Commando Battalion from Flawinne (Namur), according to the army.
Source : Brussels Time
